A wireless device may include one or more antennas at a transmitter and one or more antennas at a receiver. The transmitter includes a data modulation stage, one or more intermediate frequency stages, and a power amplifier. The data modulation stage converts raw data into baseband signals in accordance with a particular wireless communication standard. The one or more intermediate frequency stages mix the baseband signals with one or more local oscillations to produce radio frequency (RF) signals. The power amplifier amplifies the RF signals prior to transmission via transmit antennas.
Electronic signals representing user data are transmitted from the transmit antennas through amplifiers used for increasing a power and/or an amplitude of the electronic signals. Most electronic amplifiers operate by using power from a power supply, and controlling an output signal to match the shape of an input signal, while providing a higher amplitude signal.
One widely used type of electronic amplifier is a power amplifier. A power amplifier is a versatile device used in various applications to meet design requirements for signal conditioning, special transfer functions, analog instrumentation, analog computation, and the like. Power amplifiers are often used in wireless applications, and may employ RF amplifier designs for use in the RF range of the electromagnetic spectrum. An RF power amplifier is a type of electronic amplifier used to convert a low power RF signal into a signal of significant power, typically for driving an antenna of a transmitter. RF power amplifiers may be used to increase the range of a wireless communication system by increasing the output power of a transmitter.